How To Become A Good Soldier Of God? 46 (Those Who DoThe Lord's Work) [2 Tim 2:1-7] / Anne's Faith Column

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How To Become

A Good Soldier

Of God? 46

 

/ Those Who Do

The Lord's Work

[2 Tim 2:1-7]

/ Anne's Faith Column

 

 

/ By Priscilla

 

 

Those who do the

Lord's work,

 

 

after experiencing

the Lord's grace,

 

 

must be faithful

to the work entrusted

 to them in His grace.

 

 

Although we are

serving in church

voluntarily,

 

 

at some point we

lose our original

intentions,

 

 

and sometimes

we find ourselves

standing far from

God's will before

we know it.

 

 

So there are times

when we do the

Lord's work,

 

 

we not only cannot

do it with virtuousness,

 

 

but we also cannot

do it with joy, which

 puts a burden on us.

 

 

'Am I afraid of people?

'Do I fear God?'

 

 

And also sometimes

we have conflicts

while doing the

Lord's work.

 

 

Whenever that

happens to me,

I always think about

the 86-year-old

martyr 'Polycarp',

 

 

one of the faithful

workers of the

Early Church.

 

 

Just before he was

burned at the stake,

 

 

he boldly exclaimed

to the evil crowds

as follows, who had

 

 

offered not to take

his life if he avandons

Jesus Christ.

 

 

'Jesus has protected me

so far and has never

left me alone.

 

 

I cannot betray him. 

No way !

 

 

Please put me

to death quickly.

 

 

I want to meet Jesus

as soon as possible.”

 

 

He shouted

boldly like that!

 

He could never

betray Jesus,

 

 

whom he had

faithfully served,

 

 

so he never gave up

his will even in the

face of death.

 

 

He regarded his life as

dust and never forsaken

his faithfulness to

Jesus alone.

 

 

The zeal and service

without the Lord

at the center of

our hearts

 

 

sometimes make us

hard and weary ourselves

and hurt ourselves and

many others.

 

 

It's never virtuous.

When Moses was tired

of taking on too much

work alone,

 

 

God let him have

wisdom to share the

work by appointing

 

 

other leaders through

 his father-in-law

Jethro.

 

 

So, Moses became

more relaxed and he

could become God's

instrument to do greater

things than before.

 

 

On the other hand,

while working for

the Lord, there are

times when we are

treated unfairly

 

 

and we may try to escape

the situation we are in,

 

 

or rationalize ourselves

by saying that we are

doing the Lord's

work efficiently. 

 

 

So, what should we 

do to become good

soldiers of God?

 

 

The Apostle Paul gives

this advice as follows:

 

 

1) We must be able to

endure hardship

with Jesus. 

 

 

2) We must pray to God

not to get involved

in civilian affairs

to be a good

soldier of God.  

 

 

The Apostle Paul

gives us encouraging

advice describing

the attitudes

 

 

we must have in doing

the Lord's work

in parable

 

 

such as soldiers,

farmers, and athletes.

 

 

He tells us that the

hardworking farmer

should be the first

to receive a share

of the crops

 

 

and that an athlete

cannot receive

a victor's crown

if he disobeys

the rules.

 

 

And also he tells us

that when we keep 

 these attitudes in mind

the Lord will give us

insight into all this.

 

 

Even today,

God personally

guides all believers

through the Holy Spirit

 

 

who have already

accepted the Lord

as their Savior

 

 

so that they may not

lack as 'a chosen people,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, a people

belonging to God,'

 

 

God lets the faithful

workers have a

 sense of calling

 

 

and grants them

dreams and visions

so that they are not

 shaken at all by

the winds

 

 

and waves of the world

while living a life of faith.

 

 

 

So we should not

be bound by hardships

or life itself, but with

the faith and peace

that the Lord gives us,

 

 

we should move forward

day by day until the

Lord's kingdom is

 fulfilled on this earth.

 

Prayer

 

Help each one of us

to know the will

of the Lord

 

 

and do our best

in the duties entrusted

to each one of us

 

 

so that we can become

 faithful workers like

  'Polycarp'!

 

 

Please do not put

a yoke on the

working cows,

 

 

but rather take away

their heavy burdens.

 

 

Please open up

our environment

 

 

and help each one of us

to persevere, and learn,

practice, and pledge

faithfulness! 

 

 

 

 

2009/08/10

 

 

/ By Priscilla